NEW JERSEY – Ward D Jersey City Councilman Michael Yun Monday became the latest Democrat to endorse Gov. Christopher Christie’s reelection bid. To date, according to the the governor’s campaign, at least 61 Democratic elected officials, including Yun, have endorsed Christie, a Republican, over his chief challenger, State Sen. Barbara Buono, a Democrat.

Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to elect a governor and lieutenant governor, among other offices.

“In his first term as governor, Chris Christie has provided for the people of New Jersey the leadership they deserve, bringing together elected officials from across the aisle to address our state’s toughest issues and deliver real results,” Councilman Yun said in a statement released Monday by the Christie campaign. “From success in capping our property taxes to supporting our children with the most school funding in history and reforms to improve education, Governor Christie is committed to inclusive, bipartisan governing. Governor Christie has stepped up for New Jersey over the past four years, and today, I am proud to stand up for him and support him in this campaign.”

Jersey City was carried by President Barack Obama in 2012 by 70 points and by former Governor Jon Corzine by 57 points in 2009, according to Christie’s campaign.

It is widely believed that Christie is gearing up for a run for the White House in 2016. Proving he has bipartisan support among New Jersey’s public officials could be crucial in helping him appeal to a broad voter base in three years.

“Earning the support of Councilman Yun in a place like Jersey City is a truly gratifying moment for me in this campaign,” Christie said in a release. “This endorsement stands as a symbol to all who are watching, across the state and the nation, that here in New Jersey, we stand up to partisan politics and that we put the people we represent first. I’m proud to have Councilman Yun join me in setting the tone for the next four years and I look forward to continuing to come together and deliver for New Jerseyans the leadership they deserve.”

Yun is a businessman who owns a newsstand in the Heights section of Jersey City. He is currently serving his first term on the City Council representing Ward D.

Despite Yun’s endorsement of Christie, the city’s top politician, Mayor Steven Fulop, widely regarded as a rising star within New Jersey’s Democratic Party, has yet to make an official endorsement in the race for governor. Fulop has been conspicuously absent from the gubernatorial election since he was sworn in as mayor on July 1.

Polls in New Jersey will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. – E. Assata Wright